The Benefits of Homeschool Portfolio Evaluations – at a Distance!

Just this week I had several homeschooling moms ask me why I no longer portfolio evaluations in person. I did write about this on the old blog, and I think it deserves a place here in our new(er) space as well. Before I answer though, let me just say that I really would love to meet you, but I’d rather talk to you via Zoom or phone. 🙂 Let me explain why.

Introvert, Extrovert, Ambivert?

There has been a lot of talk on social media about personality types: introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts too. I have spent some time pondering this myself and I do find personality/learning style quizzes fun and interesting. I am most definitely an introvert. When I have too many places to have to be, too many people to talk to, and too many outside-the-home commitments, it can take me days to recover my energy. This is how introverts are: they recharge by being alone and quiet.

Because I am a homeschooling mom, I don’t get much alone time, but I can go outside and work in my garden, or go hang out in the barn with my horses for a bit. I need this. Fortunately, my family understands and lucky for me, my girls are also introverts so we “get” each other. Yet, despite not necessarily getting “energized” by our social activities, we trudge on and go to classes, meet with friends and live a joyful, full life. I couldn’t imagine living in a household full of extroverts!

I work from home as well, both as a homeschool consultant and evaluator, curriculum creator, and as a part-time teacher. Both of these provide me with joy and satisfaction, but I can get drained of energy. Can you relate?

The Need for Change

I began doing homeschool evaluations and consulting in 2007. My clients and I would meet in local coffee shops. Since the bulk of my evaluation requests come in during the late spring and summer months, I found myself spending all of my Saturdays and three to four nights a week away from my family. They started to feel the effects of my absence. My girls were littler then and I missed them! That was when I decided to change the way I did things.

Most of my consulting work was done long-distance anyway, and I had many clients from other parts of Florida and other states already doing distance-evaluations by emailing or snail-mailing me work samples, so I decided to ask my local clients to do their evaluations online too. I knew that this would make it easier for me, but I never expected that most of my clients actually preferred doing their evaluations this way as well. Maybe they are all fellow introverts! 😉 Seriously, though; the process is just so much more convenient and thorough for everyone involved.

Do Your Homeschool Portfolio Evaluation From Anywhere!

Online or distance-evaluations are super easy. You can upload work samples whenever you want to, and email them to me ahead of time. Of course, this is not the only way to show me the work that your students have done. Over the years I have had families share their work in these ways:

* Create a blog (I love these and many of my unschooling families do this.)* Create a private Facebook page (Love this too!)* Create a Youtube channel (some of my families who do this are amazing and I love to see and hear the students I am evaluating)* Scan and email samples of work* Snail-mail work samples to me

Florida asks evaluators to have a conversation with the student as well, and the way we fulfill this requirement is via a short phone chat, or Skype session. After that, the time is YOURS for whatever you’d like to discuss. Read more about how I conduct evaluations here.

Evaluation and Consultation In One

A big perk of scheduling a portfolio evaluation with me is that you are able to ask me any questions you want to during our phone session. Yes, the phone session is for the student; however, that time is for you as well. One of the benefits of doing a distance-evaluation with me is that you can decide what you’d like to discuss with me before-hand and give me a heads up about it so that I can research and ponder before hand. This is the best way to use our time together, and is the way that I have been doing consulting sessions since the beginning. Another benefit to you if you choose me as your evaluator, is that I will answer any questions you have via email all year long. If you have more in-depth questions about a particular topic such as curriculum choices, learning styles, etc. then we can schedule a consult; however, many questions can be answered via email.

Book Your Appointment!

Are you ready to book your appointment! Just click here for my appointment scheduler, and choose the time that works best for you and your family. I look forward to talking with you! Read my testimonials page to see a sampling of what some of my other families have said about working with me!

How to Implement Music & Creative Writing in Your Homeschool

I’m guest posting over at lifeschoolingconference.com! Check it out In this blog post I talk about how we use creative writing and music in our homeschool (“lifeschool”) and how you can, too! Come on over and find out what the term “lifeschool” means. You’ll also read my top tips for implementing music and creative writing n your homeschool at any age.

What is Creativity?

Creativity does not have to be limited to the arts as we well know. Many scientists and computer programmers and engineers have amazingly creative minds. Music and poetry and sculpture are other means of expressing what God has given us: the will and ability to create.

Creativity is the purest expression of learning. Some believe it is the way to achieve the highest level of self-actualization.

When you’re new to homeschooling or are simply thinking about it, you have tons of questions about how to begin! There are so many things to consider! You also need to consider the space you have and how to best utilize it. Even though you may make a terrific teacher, and have the perfect curriculum, those are only pieces of the puzzle. Another crucial aspect will be your home, and, more specifically, how the environment contributes to a thriving learning arrangement. There are a few important things to be aware of that can negatively affect your homeschool learning environment.

Source: Pexels.com

Too Much Clutter

If you’ve got too much junk in your home, then you’ll want to take a look at having a clearout. (more…)

Homeschooling has many challenges within it, and there are a number of situations in which it can prove to be particularly challenging to keep it going in the way you would hope for. One is when you have a newborn to think about and look after, and many people who have been in this particular situation will know well the feeling of being a little overwhelmed by everything which is going on. If you have recently given birth and you are wondering how to carry on homeschooling all of your children, there are a few things to consider. In this post, we will look at a number of the most important factors you should take on board.

Turn All Baby Things Into a Lesson

As a homeschool parent, a huge portion of your time is tied up teaching your kids, and so running a business and earning money can be tricky. However, thanks to the internet, no longer is it impossible and there are actually lots of ways to earn an income in a flexible way, right from your own home. However, there are some things you’ll need to consider, here’s how to make running a business while homeschooling successful for you.

Living on a tight budget can be tough when you have a family. For many, it involves living on a single partner’s income while the other takes care of the kids. And if you’re a reader of this blog then you’re more than likely a homeschool parent meaning that you can probably relate to this. Since your days are filled with teaching your children, you don’t exactly have the time nor the energy to be going out to work a traditional job too- however that doesn’t mean you can’t earn at all. These days, there are fantastic ways to earn right from your own home, in a flexible way which can be totally worked around your family and commitments like homeschooling. Here are some examples!

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